Frozen in Time

The story of the doomed Franklin Expedition of 1848 to the Northwest Passage, when 129 crewmen of HMS Erebus and Terror lost their lives. The discovery of the frozen bodies of three sailors provides an unprecedented view into history.

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A reconstruction of Sir John Franklin's ill-fated Arctic expedition of 1848 when the HMS Terror and HMS Erebus disappeared. This study was made possible by the discovery of a bleached human skull, found by the team working with anthropologist Dr Owen Beattie on 29 June 1981. This led to 3 further scientific expeditions over the next five years, during which time more information was pieced together. The bodies of 3 Victorian seamen were found on King William Island, well preserved by the permafrost for 133 years which enabled twentieth century forensic and anthropological scientists to uncover the mystery. Also revealed were the circumstances by which the surviving members of Franklin's elite naval forces came within sight of the Northwest Passage, which was their journey's goal, only to succumb to the horrors of starvation, scurvy and cannibalism. Included is a photographic record of the excavation with maps and illustrations and the conclusions reached by twentieth century forensic and anthropological scientists.